Transitivity in Longgu: The Interdependence of Verb Classes and Valency-Changing Derivations (original) (raw)

Transitivity as a condition for morphology

Linguistics, 1986

In many languages transitivity (or intransitivity) is an inherent property of verbs, which in part determines the applicability of morphological operations. A comparison is made of the impact of the transitive/intransitive distinction in three American Indian languages (Quechua, Ch'ol, and Guarani).

Semantic verb classes in Tima (Niger-Congo)_Dissertation_2023_Nataliya Veit

Semantic verb classes in Tima (Niger-Congo), 2023

This study represents a linguistic analysis of verbs in Tima, a Niger-Congo language spoken in Sudan. The aim is to establish coherent semantic classes of verbs based on their common morphosyntactic behavior, the underlying hypothesis being that the commonalities in the morphosyntactic behavior may be accounted for by common semantic components shared by verbs that behave similarly. The participation of verbs in valency-changing operations is taken as a pattern of common morphosyntactic behavior. Valence and, concomitantly, argument structure alteration is signaled in Tima by the employment of derivational suffixes. Extension by particular derivational suffixes is available to particular groups of verbs, i.e. the productivity of a given derivational morpheme is restricted by the lexical semantics of verbal roots. Tima has a rich derivational morphology, particularly in its postverbal elements (affixes and clitics). Yet two suffixes are most relevant in terms of valency-changing operations in that they show specific compatibility constraints and depend on the meaning of the verb. The distribution of these two suffixes, -ʌk/-ak, which is used in detransitivizing constructions, and -Vk, which can serve in both intransitivizing and transitivizing functions, is the major concern of the present dissertation. Both morphemes are multifunctional; their specific reading depends on the semantic class of the verb extended by the suffix. The dissertation is structured around these two morphemes and their distribution across the Tima verbal lexicon. The general background, including theoretical issues and general linguistic information on the Tima language, is presented in Chapter 1. Chapters 2 and 3 describe the functional scope tied to the verbal semantics of the morphemes -ʌk/-ak and -Vk, respectively.

Close and remote objects in a language with a single transitive suffix

Language Description, History and Development: Linguistic indulgence in memory of Terry Crowley, 2007

The distinction between “close” and “remote” objects has widely been discussed in the Oceanic literature (e.g., Pawley 1973, 1986, Pawley and Reid 1980). Historically, this distinction is associated with the choice between the two Proto Oceanic (POc) transitivising suffixes *-i, adding patient objects, and *-aki(ni), adding objects with semantic roles like location, goal, instrument, or cause, i.e., roles which cross-linguistically are more typically expressed by oblique noun phrases. Many modern Oceanic languages show reflexes of both suffixes and maintain the distinction between two object types. In this study I show that the distinction between close and remote objects remains relevant even in a language which has only a single transitive suffix.